Connecting the Polly Ann and Paint Creek Trails will not be an easy task, but it’s one the Polly Ann Trail Commission has decided to accept.
During a press conference on Feb. 12, the Polly Ann Trail Commission and Trail Manager Amy Murray announced three different options for connecting the two systems. The three options are not mutually exclusive, and are listed by priority based upon usage, cost effectiveness and desirability.
The first option would take the Polly Ann Trail east on Scripps Rd., where it would cross M-24 and connect with an existing safety path that travels past Lake Orion High School and into the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area. Inside the recreation area, trail users would be able to select from a variety of different trail options, all leading to the Paint Creek Trail.
This route is the most preferrable because no land or right-of-way aquisitions are necessary, most of the pathways already exist, the school district would benefit and there is already a light located at the M-24 intersection. The entire length of new trailway would be four miles, with only two miles of new trail, and would cost at least $200,000 to develop the new portion.
One obstacle for this option is that the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area is currently under a trail moratorium. PR and Marketing Coordinator Colleen Steinman explained that the Department of Natural Resources is currently not allowing new trailways to be developed within the parks.
‘We’re just not sure when this is going to be lifted,? she said. ‘This could potentially hinder the trail development there.?
The second would take the Polly Ann Trail east along Indianwood Rd. to the existing safety path running along M-24. The safety path leads into the Village of Orion and connects with the Paint Creek Trail. A variation of this connection would bring the trail down Drahner Rd. and then run down M-24 to the existing safety path.
The entire section of new trailway would be approximately two miles and would encorporate the use of pedestrian bridges and possibly an extended outside lane for bikes. Cost estimates for this option were not available, and the feasibility of an outside lane or pedestrain bridges has not been researched.
‘We’re still debating on our strategy and overall design at this point for this one,? said Murray.
The third option is to follow Scripps Rd. east to the existing utility easement, turn south on the easement and enter the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, and then follow the existing safety path through the area along Waldron Rd. to M-24. At this point, the trail would travel south on M-24 to an existing utility corridor, where it would turn east to Kern Rd. The trail would then follow Kern Rd. north to Greenshield Rd., again through the Bald Mountain Recreation Area, and finally connect with the Paint Creek Trail.
According to Murray, the entire length of the addition is six and a half miles, but there will be minimal portions of new trail: approximately two miles west of M-24 in the Bald Mountain area and about one and a half east of M-24, also in the Bald Mountain area.
The commission has formed other suggestions for additional extensions to the trail; however, none of them create a circular trailway system. One option would be to extend the trail west on Scripps Rd. to an existing safety path on Joslyn Rd., and then follow Joslyn to Waldon Rd. The other option is to continue the trial south on Lake George Rd. to the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area safety paths.
‘The goal with the other options in to feed into a residential area or other destination areas for the trail,? explained Murray.
The Polly Ann Trail commission does not currently have a timeline for completing these options and has not yet begun researching possible funding sources for connecting the two trailways.